Rating: 6/10
If JPEGMAFIA’s mission was to solidify his status as the torchbearer for Experimental Hip Hop with his new album Experimental Rap, then mission accomplished. In a world where the majority of current Hip Hop is stale and predictable, Peggy champions the idea of being different musically and pushing the envelope, but being six albums in now, his unconventional approach is to be expected, which deems his music predictable. However, that predictability isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because the music market isn’t exactly saturated with people making the same kind of discombobulating noisily radical music he makes, which makes him one of a kind. Peggy is aware of his status as the face of Experimental Hip Hop, and he embraces it, but that embracement is a detriment to this album. These songs sound more caught up in the idea of being experimental and unconventional to the point where much of the interesting instrumental ideas sound unfinished and not fully fleshed out. It’s just a bunch of ideas thrown together to sound as abrasive as possible, and normally that sort of thing sounds incredibly innovative in Peggy’s music, but unfortunately this comes across as a gimmick at this point. A lot of songs have an underwhelming beat switch, Brostep elements that are 15 years too late, and the same rapid-fire flow in damn near every song which gets boring very quickly. Which is a shame because there was a time when every word Peggy spit cut like a knife and you truly felt the aggression, jabs at internet culture, and shots at racist conservatives and performative liberals alike. Those lyrical themes have not left his music, but they unfortunately take a back seat to overly messy directionless instrumentals. JPEGMAFIA is capable of creating some truly inspired and unique music, but when the alternative to predictable music becomes predictable itself, then it’s time to switch things up.
Written By: Steven Sandoval
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